Lzh Mi Bu Pm Np 3Out-of-Season Robe Cloth
Pāli / Sanskrit:Akālacīvara
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Discourse on Out-of-Season Robe Cloth (Akālacīvara)
Background
The Discourse on Out-of-Season Robe Cloth belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Pāli Canon, where the rules of practice for the Buddhist community of monks and nuns are recorded. This text is listed in the Pātimokkha, the list of prohibitions that monastics must observe.
The background arose in the Buddha’s lifetime, when his renunciant disciples encountered difficulties in managing property and robe cloth. Robe cloth (cīvara) is not only clothing to cover the body, but also a symbol of renouncing worldly luxury in the life of practice. Akāla (out of season) refers to periods not appropriate according to the prescribed time for receiving, using, or storing robe cloth. This rule is intended to prevent acts of greed, unnecessary hoarding, and violation of the Sangha’s spirit of liberation.
Main Content
In the Vinaya Piṭaka, the Pātimokkha clearly defines principles for handling robe cloth. Out-of-season robe cloth (akālacīvara) is understood as robe cloth received, used, or stored outside the prescribed time. Specifically, each season (kāla) is prescribed for receiving robe cloth, and violating these rules is regarded as a lack of carefulness.
The text prescribes that monastics may keep only a certain amount of robe cloth corresponding to basic needs: the upper robe (uttarāsaṅga), the inner robe (antaravāsaka), and the outer robe (saṅghāṭi). Possessing or storing robe cloth beyond one’s needs, especially at an improper season, is regarded as a violation of the prohibition. This reflects a basic principle of monastic discipline: what exceeds the necessities of life is unnecessary and may give rise to craving.
Detailed rules for storing, preserving, and transferring robe cloth are also set forth, to ensure that these actions do not violate virtue and do not lead to disputes within the Sangha.
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